The prior art is replete with descriptions of bundling products using bands about the products. Sometimes the heretofore known bands have elastic sections united to non-elastic sections, and sometimes they are endless elastic bands commonly called rubber bands.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,516,292 (Bennett) teaches a preformed labeling band of elastic and non-elastic sections for holding bananas constantly under tension as they shrink. The ends of the elastic and non-elastic sections of the band are overlapped and adhesively or otherwise bonded together. U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,652 (Stowman et al.) discusses banding of merchandise by a technique involving in situ bonding of the ends of a strip of elastic material with or without an interposed separate strip of material that is not necessarily elastic. In situ bonding, however, involves carrying bonding equipment to the site where banding of merchandise is to be done (e.g., for bonds formed by heat sealing) or involves removing and disposing of a release liner at the site of banding (e.g., for bonds formed by using liner-protected contact or pressure-sensitive adhesive layers). Neither approach is ideal for bundling items. Also, when either a preformed band of bonded sections or an in situ formed band of bonded sections is stretched about merchandise, it exerts a compressive force on the merchandise. Relatively strong bonds are needed to prevent bond separation under such circumstances since the bonds are in the line of stretching and are subjected to the tension of stretching during use.
Another suitable application for a bundling article involves securing medical hoses to drapes that are used on a patient in surgery. Often in the surgery area, compressed air hoses, communication cables and other support hoses are present. Before surgery starts, the hoses and cables are typically secured to a medical drape arranged around the patient as to not fall to the floor or interfere with the surgical team's operations. Currently this is accomplished with adhesive tapes and/or straps with hook-and-loop fasteners. For this use, a bundling article desirably is adjustable to hold various numbers and sizes of hoses and cables. Typical bundle sizes range from about ⅛″ diameter for a single intravenous hose to bundles including one or more of a robotic communication cable of 1″ diameter with several smaller hoses varying from ⅛″ to ½″ diameter.